Chair

Portfolio of Service

Portfolio of Service: Briefs & advises SMHA on legislative and state administrative issues, expert on health care and institutional transitions as well as banking and economic development issues, connectps the not-for-profit sector to public sector, public relations expertise.  Shares his extraordinary talent and sense of humor while briefing the board on the most stressful of economic and policy issues.

Professional Activities

Fred is the owner in St. Martin Parish of Mills Cashway Pharmacy in Parks and the president and chief executive officer of Farmers-Merchants Bank and Trust Co. of Breaux Bridge.

He was appointed to the Acadian Companies Board of Directors in 2006 and was the second person to serve as an outside member of the board. In June 2024, Fred was appointed Chairman of the Board.

Fred is a founding member and served as President of St. Martin Economic Development Authority and is vice-chairman of the St. Martin Hospital Board of Directors.

In January of 2011, Fred was elected to the Louisiana State Senate. As a state senator, his duties included Chairman of Health and Welfare Committee, Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Local and Municipal Committee and Judicial C Committee. His former governmental experience is varied and includes his election in 2007 to represent Louisiana’s District 46 as state representative, and was on the Governor’s Health Care Reform Panel.

About

Education

Senator Fred Mills (Louisiana) is a pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) and is a graduate of Breaux Bridge High School, also attending LSU’s Graduate School of Banking and SMU’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking for executive education. 
  • High School: Breaux Bridge High School.
  • Undergraduate/Pharmacy: University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), College of Pharmacy, earning his Doctor of Pharmacy.
  • Banking Education: Attended the Executive Banking Institute/Graduate School of Banking at LSU and Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. 

Awards